The sophomore at Penn State wanted to be in for the long haul during the 42nd annual Dance Marathon two weekends ago that raised more than $13.3 million to fight pediatric cancer.

And not only wasn't he worried about hurting his soccer recovery, he figured the experience might even help it ... and mean much more.

Because while soccer is still crucial in his life, he owns a different perspective now. He missed his senior season of high school because of a broken foot. He broke it again after enrolling early at Penn State. And then he ripped his ACL and had surgery last summer.

It all has created a hard-driving balance in his life, and so staying upright and awake for nearly two straight days at "THON" (caffeine not allowed) was something he felt compelled to do.

He was one of only four varsity athletes among the 700-plus "dancers" in the Bryce Jordan Center. They all spent a lot of time hanging out with kids battling cancer and their families, the beneficiaries of the largest student-run philanthropy in the world.

For the recovering soccer player, THON became a life-changer.

The BJC was packed with dancers, bands, supporters, on-lookers and those cancer families. Even some impromptu soccer games broke out with the kids amid the flying beach balls and squirt gun battles.

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Of course, only hours in, Kaschak's knee did begin throbbing and, eventually, "my feet felt like they could have broke at any minute."

It was up to his mother, his best friend and others to keep his spirits up by reminding him of exactly why he was dancing in the first place.

Like the time he spent on the BJC floor with the Messinas, a THON family "adopted" by the Student Athlete Advisory Board. Daughter Isabella, 12, was diagnosed with cancer when she was only 20 months old. She fought her way into remission only to have the cancer return when she was 6.

Christian Kaschak, a Dallastown graduate and Steph Bilyeu, a sophomore education major and York Catholic graduate pose during Penn State's annual Dance Marathon, known as THON. Kaschak, a soccer player, is recovering from ACL surgery but still participated in the 46-hour dance marathon two weekends ago. 'I didn't really think it was going to hurt my (upcoming spring) soccer season or anything,' Kaschak said. 'You're only focused on getting the job done. It's like being a sixth-man. You don't want the glory, you want to be that sixth man in curing cancer.' (Submitted)

A successful bone marrow transplant from her younger brother, though, made this her first THON labeled as cancer-free.

THON "is more of a privilege for me," Kaschak said. "I know (the families) appreciate it so much, but they don't know how much we appreciate them and how much we're inspired by them and their stories and their strength."

He talked and sang and yelled so much that he lost his voice for two days.

His feet swelled up so badly that when he finally sat down after it was all over ... he almost collapsed when he tried to get up.

He was so emotionally drained and physically beat that he slept for 18 hours.

And he swears THON was the best thing that ever happened.

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"I didn't really think it was going to hurt my (upcoming spring) soccer season or anything," he said. "You're only focused on getting the job done. It's like being a sixth-man. You don't want the glory, you want to be that sixth man in curing cancer.

"And, actually, it was a great test for my knee. It proved I can do a lot on it again."

While soccer is still important, this was another life step taken.

Kaschak is studying kinesiology in the Schreyer Honor College and is part of the Presidential Leadership Academy. He plans on graduating in only three years and then attending medical school.

For now, he wants to become even more involved with THON, especially helping those families.

"I'm learning more from them than they ever could from me."

Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the Daily Record/Sunday News. Reach him at 771-2104, fbodani@ydr.com or @YDRPennState.